No, not a list of Christmas presents I’d like to have – a list of volunteering opportunities in the park! Well, not so little either (see below), but this gives a flavour of the work that we already do in the park – as well as some of the things that we’d like to be able to do. There’s a huge amount of variety: some of them are one-off or occasional items, and some are much more long-term. Some tasks are seasonal – leaf raking and snow warden – and others can be done anytime of the year. They are on the list in a deliberately random order.

If you would like more details on any of these volunteering opportunities, do get in contact info@rowntreepark.org.uk

The Friends of Rowntree Park are looking for an artist who is studying in York (at post-16 level), who would like to spend time in Rowntree Park and express their experiences in some form of art, to include material displayed in an exhibition at the Reading Cafe.

Do you know a new or emerging artist who would benefit from this opportunity?

Application is by email (info@rowntreepark.org.uk), attaching a written proposal (maximum 1000 characters including spaces) as a pdf. In your email, please state your name, the art course you attend, and the school/college/university you are studying at. If you are under 18, please state your age. Your proposal can also include a single image, also as a pdf.

We are looking for applications from students studying in York at AS/A2 level, foundation or degree level.

Your proposed artwork(s) should be new and site-specific, relating to the park in some way. Your proposal should make it clear how the work would relate to the park. You will probably wish to visit the park (and the cafe) before applying, if you do not already know the space concerned.

We have three local artists lined up to consider the applications, in the context of the park and the cafe.

We expect the successful artist to spend further time within the park, in order to engage with the space – and be ‘in residence’, as the title suggests; the amount of time will be agreed with the artist. We will be able to organise an area within the cafe, where you could work in the warm and dry – with coffee supplies nearby!

The proposed art works can be of any media, within the practical constraints of the display space; it may be that some pieces would be suitable for outside display. Art works must be suitable for all ages, as the exhibition space is open to all.

Application deadline is midday on December 15th; the winning artist will be announced on January 19th 2018.

The successful artist will be offered an exhibition in the Reading Café, Rowntree Park, with the local press being invited to attend the opening/private view. Dates of the exhibition to be confirmed, but we anticipate that it will be in summer 2018, and that it will last at least a month.

The successful artist will be offered a grant of £250 towards materials and other expenses.

For more information or to apply, please email info@rowntreepark.org.uk

10 volunteers came to help plant hundreds of daffodil bulbs this morning, and were rewarded with home-made cake, as well as our normal tea/coffee. I was asked for the recipe for my mum’s spiced apple cake, so here it is (below).

Meanwhile, many thanks to all the hard working volunteer gardeners!

Spiced apple cake

4oz butter/marg

7oz sugar

1 egg

7oz self-raising flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp all spice

1 tsp nutmeg

pinch of cloves

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup of unsweetened apple puree (if home made, then make sure it is reasonably smooth and not too wet)

Cream together butter and sugar, blend in flour and eggs, and then all the other ingredients.

Bake in a greased, bottom-lined tin, for 60-70 mins, at 350F, 180C or gas mark 4

All are welcome to attend the AGM (not just members), so do come and join us. Please arrive between 6.50 and 7pm, at the Richardson St entrance (the other entrances will already be locked). If you are running late, please ring the café on: 551489 and we’ll come and let you in.

The little explorers and I are always keen to tackle a new adventure so we were very excited to test out the new park trail. We love birds, we love stories and we love looking for hidden things so it seemed like a perfect afternoon adventure. The trail map from the park café (suggested donation £1) only added to the excitement with its beautiful illustrations by Gerard Hobson.

The trail takes you on an imaginative adventure, following the story of the little sparrow who wanted to find out who should be king. We followed the sparrow on his journey to meet all the different birds in the park, each telling him about their special quality which would make them the best king. We loved spotting and identifying the wooden birds in the trees and the littlest explorer had a great time peeking in the bird boxes to find the clues.

There are some steps on the trail so it’s not ideal for pushchairs (though you can avoid that part of the route) but even my little 2 year old managed the walk without any problems – in fact most of the time he was running to get to the bird box before his older brother! The paths are good and the trail takes you through some of the lesser visited areas of the park which only adds to the fun.

Trail complete, we headed back to the café where the lovely staff gave both children a beautiful bird badge (which they are still wearing proudly) and a colouring sheet.

Who was king of the birds? You’ll have to try it out for yourself to find out!

Between a dog and a three year old, I’m in the park two to three times a day, so I tend to notice the arrival of some new baby waterfowl. A few weeks back, on a trip to the playground, I noticed two baby moorhen near the north island, peeping away in the water while their mother walked along the edge of the island. Before the ramps to the islands were removed during the clearing of the lake a few months ago, baby chicks could easily access dry land. When I walked the dog later in the day, both were beginning to look unwell. Once in the water, they had no way out: they were too small either to get on to the island or out on to the pavement. I made a makeshift raft by tying some sticks together with bits of long grass and managed to scoop one on, but the other was too far away.

Uncertain what else to do, I called the RSPCA – their officer was too busy to get to the park before nightfall, and in any case I don’t think they quite grasped the situation I was describing (they reassured me that it’s natural for moorhen chicks to go in the water not long after they are born; I tried to explain I was less concerned with them being in the water than I was with the fact that they couldn’t get out). They asked me to call in the morning if the chicks were still there and seemed to need help; when I checked on them an hour later, both had already drowned, having swum to exhaustion.

It was at this point that I contacted the Friends of Rowntree Park, to ask what had happened to the ramps. Cath answered my email swiftly and shared my concerns; when a new group of moorhen chicks ended up in the same situation last week, I went straight to Cath to see if the Friends could help. Walking through the park again an hour and half later (armed with sticks and a bit of scrap wood I found on my walk so that, in case she hadn’t received my email, I could attempt to help them myself somehow), I was delighted to find Cath, along with Rosemary and Hugo, mid-rescue operation. They managed to get three chicks back on to the south island, and one on to the north island (a second by the north island had already died). The next day in the park, I gathered some large sticks in the hopes of propping them by the edge of the lake so at the very least they could get a break from swimming, and hopefully on to dry land a bit. As I was doing so, I bumped into Hugo and Rosemary with some new ramps they had made, and Cath made a makeshift nest of sticks on a couple of bricks for them, too. A few hours later I spotted the chicks on Cath’s nest, and a day or two later I spotted them – and one of the smaller ducklings – making good use of the ramp to get on and off the island. After what had happened before, this felt a wonderful success story.

To make a long story short – it was amazing to see such a swift response from the Friends in helping out some of the inhabitants of the park. At a time when budget cuts mean the park depends more and more on volunteers to maintain it, it’s wonderful to see what a dedicated team the Friends are; they’ve certainly inspired me to look into more ways to get involved.

We’re delighted to announce that our first event with YUMI is an International Picnic, on July 16th, from 11am to 2pm. Share international food, learn origami, plant up herb planters for the Cafe and get information about FRP and YUMI activities. Do bring a picnic and join in! Suitable for all ages.